Well, here goes :) I'm an older gamer (I started playing RPGs some 30 years ago, and that was at university). I'm an academic, living in the Great Lakes area of the USA with my spouse and our cats. I do enjoy strategy games as well as RPGs and a wide variety of board games, so you can see me play things like Eldritch Horror, Star Fleet Battles and Savage Worlds with about equal enthusiasm.Having said that, I am not a number-cruncher, and even in more tactical games, I'll often take the choice that makes sense from the perspective of the unfolding story. That doesn't mean I am unaware of odds or combat options - it just indicates that, to me, immersion in virtually all games is important. I also run a (Shadowrun) campaign myself, and in the past I have been storyteller for a variety of other systems, such as Ars Magica and World of Darkness. In roleplaying games, I tend to enjoy characters that are "group enablers". I prefer characters that have broad skillsets over specialists, and I *strongly* favour non-combat solutions, where those are viable. Although RPG combat can definitely contribute to storytelling, I find that it tends to takes the focus away from it when played too rigidly, and especially when it becomes frequent. Your note that you are planning on theater of the mind may resolve part of that, however, since it will make exact maneuvering and optimizing combat positioning less of an attention drain. [Again, I am very well capable of this; I just find it disadvantageous to push for. Still, for climactic fights, I don't mind breaking out the map grid and a more rules-precise approach to things.] I'm reasonably experienced with Pathfinder, and although it can be a bit more numbers-focused than I would prefer in a perfect world, I do appreciate Golarion and the Adventure Paths. In the right group, where the world's reactions are preferably adjusted to the playstyle of the group a little, it can be a perfectly viable system. I have, of course, not yet played Crimson Throne, although I have read the player's guide and gone through character generation for it once. Regrettably, the prospective GM for that game bailed on the group before session one happened, which was disappointing. I would be happy to take that character and adjust it to your personal preferences (and the other players', of course), or create someone entirely new. When it comes to expectations, I favour honesty. That is, I want people to be honest when it comes to reliability and commitment (obviously understanding that life happens to us all - but please don't sign up for a weekly game starting in June if you are going to be away from your computer for the Summer...), as well as a degree of character reliability. I'm not just fine but happy to see character ingenuity and plotting, but petty attempts at gaining at the cost of the rest of the group, pick-pocketing around the campsite at night, and otherwise playing power grab games is probably best left off the table, in my opinion. On the other hand, people trying to gain contacts within society, engage in RP with NPCs and embellish character background through time lapse scenes, for instance, has not only my heartfelt approval, but likely a degree of enthusiasm to participate in it. By and large, I prefer a group where everyone is post college age and/or living independently, since my experience has shown that this improves the ability to attend games regularly dramatically. All the same, it's important to point out that this does not reflect on maturity, which can certainly arrive at a younger age for some than others. I have also found that a group that is not dominated by any gender, orientation or cultural background is more harmonious, but this can sometimes be a little harder to ascertain. I'm pleased to see that you plan to run an LGBTQ-friendly game where mature themes may occur but are neither a goal nor an expectation. I'm conscientious when it comes to listening to pronoun- and trigger preferences; mine are "they/them" (although I'll understand slip-ups and won't get upset when they occur), and please leave off the table pointless gore, emotional abuse (even when in-character) where this is likely to disturb players, and blatant intercourse. I do appreciate touching upon troubled elements in character backgrounds with a gentler touch, so that people who may have introduced these elements to explore them in a safe environment have the chance to do so. Having said that, I don't tend to be a snowflake player, and probably would prefer a party that isn't struggling day to day to fit into society. A bit of outsider in us all isn't bad, however, as long as it does not become so crippling that it prevents actual participation in the story. Well, that was a bit of a book, but (as mentioned) I prefer a degree of honesty, so laying upon the table my perspective is important. Having said that, making sure that the group is harmonious is the most important thing, and that may mean that I'm the one not fitting well. There'd be no hard feelings there, of course - although I hope that I have at least given you a glimpse as to what it is I can bring to the table. I hope to hear back from you! Regards, Pat
